Above photo: Israeli army/Reuters.
Several reports indicate that Israel is not willing to forego an assault on Rafah.
And is refusing to permanently end the war as part of an exchange deal.
Efforts to reach an agreement for a truce and prisoner exchange in the Gaza Strip have been faltering, as Israel is refusing to accept a permanent ceasefire and end to the war.
Sources told Al-Mayadeen on 5 May that “negotiations face a major obstacle due to the Israeli refusal to adhere to a permanent ceasefire.” They added that Hamas is insisting on written guarantees that a deal will include a permanent ceasefire.
Despite this, Egyptian outlet Cairo TV said on Sunday that there is a “positive” atmosphere regarding the talks. A Hamas official told CBS on the same day that the talks made no progress.
Negotiations to reach a deal under a new Egyptian proposal continued on 4 May.
A Hamas delegation visited Cairo on Saturday for talks with mediators. Israel did not send a delegation to the latest round of talks in the Egyptian capital.
According to an anonymous Israeli official cited by AP, Israel remains “committed” to an operation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, which is desperately overcrowded with over a million besieged Palestinians.
“It will not agree in any circumstance to end the war as part of a deal to release hostages,” the official said.
A Hamas official confirmed to Al-Jazeera earlier on Saturday that Israel’s position in the talks has hindered chances to reach an agreement.
“The occupation obstructs reaching an agreement by insisting on continuing the war. The Zionist entity seeks to establish a framework agreement to recover its prisoners without linking this to ending the aggression,” the official said.
“Our information confirms that Netanyahu personally obstructs reaching an agreement for personal reasons,” he added, reiterating that Hamas “will not agree in any way to an agreement that does not explicitly include stopping the war on Gaza.”
Far-right party leaders in Netanyahu’s coalition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have threatened to withdraw from the government if a prisoner deal results at the end of the war and the cancellation of an assault on Rafah.
The prime minister said on Tuesday that Israel would enter Rafah “with or without” a deal.
Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar published on 1 May what it said was the document detailing the latest Egyptian–Israeli proposal for a truce and prisoner exchange deal.
The deal is made up of three stages. The initial stage includes a temporary cessation of hostilities and the release of Israeli female prisoners in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. It would bring about the return of some of the displaced to northern Gaza and would see Israel withdraw “eastward and away from densely populated areas.”
The initiative falls short of Hamas’ demand for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip and fails to guarantee a full and permanent ceasefire. It instead calls for “preparations” for the eventual establishment of a period of “sustainable calm.”